Human Wolves

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Elsa Delgarth, a retired actress married to a rich politician, returns to the stage to act in a series of charity shows. The glamour of the footlights causes her to become tired of domestic life and she leaves her husband and child to return to the stage. Paul Greville, an actor, with whom Elsa runs away, loses his memory while appearing in a production, and as a result the couple find themselves face to face with ruin. Unable to obtain engagements, Greville sinks lower and lower in the social scale until meeting a criminal named Gaston St. Croix, he agrees to join the latter's gang. The commissioner of police is informed of a number of mysterious thefts, and immediately stations his squad of officers on the river bank to track the mysterious gang. That night the crooks are tracked, and a battle on the water ensues, but they make their escape. Elsa is unaware of the double life Greville is leading and for some months the man takes part in the crimes of the riverside gang. Meanwhile Delgarth has received an important government appointment and the St. Croix gang plot to gain possession of valuable documents he holds. Greville and an accomplice break into Delgarth's home, but are disturbed before they can accomplish their purpose. However, they carry off Delgarth's little daughter, intending to use the child as a weapon against him. They next engage rooms at a hotel in the town and write Delgarth , telling him he will receive news of his daughter if he visits them alone. When Delgarth keeps the appointment he is overpowered and carried away from the hotel. Delgarth's groom, who followed his master to the hotel, becomes suspicious and succeeds in tracking down the criminals to a lonely spot where they seek to force Delgarth to reveal the hiding place of the papers. When Delgarth is obdurate they threaten to place his child on a nearby railway line in the path of the advancing express. They carry the child to the railway line, but their vile purpose is frustrated by Elsa, who has learned of Greville's villainy. She rushes to the track just in time to snatch her child from danger, but she herself is knocked down and fatally hurt. Greville is also killed and the other members of the gang are captured by the police.